Illinois

Jason Bowen, an Army veteran who previously worked as a senior security executive for a private-sector consulting firm, has been hired as the state’s new chief information security officer to replace Adam Ford.

A $50 million donation from an alumnus will establish the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science, which will be housed in a new building and likely include new classes and degree programs.

The university's partners in the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Hub committed funds to support seven different projects that aim to support the business of biomanufacturing in the region.

The Administrative Office of Illinois Courts has granted Lee County $1,016,623.10 in funds from the 2024 Illinois Court Technology Modernization Program.

The University of Illinois' Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory is the lead applicant in a regional consortium pursuing grant funding to train and equip biomanufacturing professionals.

The Illinois Community College Board has granted $9.4 million to institutions across the state to build up their programs for training students in EV technology and advanced manufacturing fields.

NASCIO award winner Adam Ford has started a position in cloud security months after being recognized for his accomplishments in cybersecurity in Illinois. He worked for the state for more than two decades.

U.S. Department of Agriculture doled out seven grants across Illinois to help rural schools and colleges to buy equipment that includes distance-learning equipment, classrooms and spaces for mental health treatment.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, the grant funding, allocated under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, aims to propel digital construction tools such as computer modeling and 3D design in 10 state DOTs.

Jim Schweizer, lead artificial intelligence researcher for Global Data Sciences Inc., has called on the city of Aurora, Ill., to develop an AI action plan, similar to what New York City unveiled in October.

This year’s state budget includes just $12 million for the electric vehicle rebates, which is nearly a 40 percent decrease compared with what was allocated for the previous round.

Accessing election information should soon be easier than ever for Effingham County residents after the Effingham County Board signed off on the purchase of new voter registration software.

On their annual tour of the state, administrators from the University of Illinois system are meeting with schools and local leaders to coordinate efforts to help families and small businesses get high-speed Internet.

A public-private coalition called Innovate Illinois has enlisted several universities in pursuit of federal funding to designate its quantum science and biomanufacturing centers as EDA Tech Hubs.

The Illinois Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) Tech Act will offer grants to college students majoring in computer science, information technology or related fields, covering up to the full cost of tuition.

Earlier this month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law a measure that makes anyone in Illinois who engages in doxxing to be found civilly liable in court, despite objections from the ACLU.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has adopted Augintel’s Natural Language Processing software to help child welfare caseworkers gain enhanced insights on the cases they manage.

The Illinois Child Care Assistance Program application process is getting digitized through a partnership with Code for America. The partnership aims to make the process simpler and more efficient for families who rely on it.